Duality
by PrincessEnnui
Summary: AU. FemNaruto. The child of Yondaime is sent to a temple that they might be protected from the life of a jinchuriki. Sometimes there is no escape from danger and fate. Thus, she returns to the home of her father and mother as a priestess, skilled in barriers, healing, summons and seals. Edited.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not own Naruto.

It seems that uploading took out each and every section break I put in my Word document.

Summary: AU. FemNaruto. The child of Yondaime is sent to a temple that they might be protected from the life of a jinchuriki. Sometimes there is no escape from danger and fate. Thus, she returns to the home of her father and mother as a priestess, skilled in barriers, healing, summons and seals.

**Duality**

Prologue

"My how quickly things change in the span of a few hours," thought Minato Namikaze as he watched the life seep from his wife's eyes.

Not even a minute into life outside the womb had his daughter been threatened by a masked man. There were precious few options so the beast that had once been imprisoned by his wife, then set free to ravage his village and now split sealed into himself and his newborn.

Was it the fate of all jinchuriki to spend their life in constant peril from threats outside and within? And for what? The Kyuubi had been no great boon to Kushina and it would only increase the target on Naru's back.

It struck him then that his poor Naru would be parentless and thrown into a world of wolves and worse. It broke his heart that her life had been decided for her mere minutes after taking her first breath.

And now as he breathed his last with his wife, he hoped the girl's godfather would make good on his promise. If a boy was born, then the Ninja Academy he should enter. If a girl, then to the Great Fire Temple she was to go. It simply would not do to have her suffer the same fate as her mother.

Out of harm's way with no burden to experience the agony of Kushina, whom he sadly noted had already passed on, filled with questions about a child she was never going to raise. He knew, _he knew_, that she would be a fine mother. It just wasn't her fate.

* * *

A lazy eye belonging to Kakashi Hatake drifted over the forms of a docile woman, an injured teen and a sullen child.

The woman was quite pretty with long dark hair and eyes and a kind, patient face, though it was currently showing a great deal of concern. Indeed, the child seemed uneasy and irritated at the same time, bearing similar features to his mother, albeit shorter, spikier hair.

The teen, judging by her looks, was the oddity. Her left arm was heavily bandaged in a sling. Long, striking red hair framed a youthful heart shaped face, marked with whiskers, with equally kind violet eyes. She had a sturdy, lean build her age, one no doubt Sakura would be jealous of.

She was wearing a relatively tight fitting black dress that stopped mid-thigh. Finished with a long, deep red sash and chain wrapped around her waist and a detached fingerless glove that ended near her elbow on her right arm. She didn't appear to be wearing normal sandals, but a band covered her delicate foot nonetheless.

She didn't fit in with the rest of the family and Tazuna didn't seem too surprised to her there. Who was she anyway? He supposed the family was just as curious who they were.

The dark haired woman rushed to her feet with a simple concerned, "Dad?"

Tazuna for his part smiled weakly and introduced his family. "This is my daughter, Tsunami. And my grandson, Inari."

The woman returned the weak smile and the boy seemed disinterested in them all together. The teen drank them in slowly, pausing to study the symbol on their hitai-ate.

"And whose the third?" Kakashi asked.

"Ah," Tazuna said with a smaller, but genuine smile. "This is Naru. Inari pulled her from a river some time ago. She's staying with us until her arm heals."

Kakashi nodded, seemingly fine with this answer. He noticed his female student, Sakura Haruno, seemed wary of her. Sasuke Uchiha seemed at least as much disinterested as Tazuna's grandson.

Continuing his introductions, Tazuna cleared his throat. "This tall one here is Kakashi Hatake and he is the one I hired to guard me while I finish the bridge. The other two nobodies are Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno."

This earned him stifled laughs and death glares. Although, Inari became visibly upset at this.

"My replacement then?" Questioned Naru.

Kakashi shot Tazuna a questioning look, mirrored by Sasuke.

"I promised a full explanation earlier, didn't I," Tazuna said. "I warn you, this is a long tale."

"We've got the time," Kakashi responded, "You owe us a justification for the incident earlier."

Tazuna nodded, as if to say indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I do not own Naruto.

It seems that took out all the line breaks during the document upload.

**Duality**

Chapter One

"This is a tale that began about a year ago," Tazuna stated.

With that, Tazuna told the tale of how Inari had been bullied and thrown into the river and left to drown by other children. Then a man, a fisherman from parts unknown, had jumped in to pull him out, offering a warm fire to dry himself and food and a lot of comfort. Inari was quite taken with his strength and charm and eventually, the man, Kaiza, became like family to the trio.

Kaiza had even saved the town from a massive flood by helping to seal a breeched dam door. For a time, things were peaceful and happy. Until Gato, shipping magnate, drug dealer and smuggler, came.

"From then on," Tazuna said grimly. "Nami no Kuni was his. I am not going to lie and say we were a flourishing, prosperous before Gato came-we weren't. We were poor, but we could manage. Gato took and took and when you had nothing left, sometimes taking your life wasn't enough."

He continued on.

When Gato came, crime and poverty came with him. It was like a plague that swept the sea routes, and then the ports and then the cities. Although many resisted, Gato retaliated with violence until fear took root and people stopped resisting.

"But my son-in-law kept fighting the good fight," Tazuna said wearily.

He then started shaking his head as if this was a silly notion, as if he disagreed with the sentiment. He paused and looked around his dining room table.

Tsunami was listening intently, her dark eyes dulled with sadness. Inari seemed more distant than usual, as if he wasn't listening. Tazuna knew that the truth was Inari, who loved Kaiza most, was. Kakashi and Sakura paid thoughtful attention to him, as did the aloof teen boy with them.

Lastly, Naru was trained on him. It was not the girl's first time hearing the story, but he could tell by her face that the story moved her. It was at her behest that he had sought further aid. He would not have been able to leave his family alone otherwise.

Satisfied, he began the final part of the story. "Though Kaiza had all but lost influence in the town, Gato struck him down publicly."

As if he were some common criminal, his arms were broken and then executed in front of the entire town, in front of poor Inari and Tsunami. With that, the spirit of Nami no Kuni was broken. There was no more resistance, no one even mentions the name Gato for fear of reprisal. Not even I challenged him. It just got worse and worse and worse.

Finally, the people could take no more and came together to build a bridge, from here to the mainland. The entire project got started a little over a month ago.

"That's where you come in," Tazuna said pointedly to Kakashi, "I knew we could not hide the truth of the bridge forever, but Gato is after me now…"

Gesturing to the girl, Tazuna spoke, "This one arrived a week ago and by her grace, we were lucky. She drove off our attackers, but when she was injured, my workers lost faith and some abandoned the project."

At this Kakashi perked up. The girl did not strike him as fighter, but then again he there were many things in this world that surprised him.

Turning his good eye back towards Tazuna, he asked, "So, she's not from here?"

"No," Tazuna said, "But that's her story to tell, not mine."

At this, the girl smiled meekly and scratched her head sheepishly. "My name is Naru Uzumaki and I am-was a priestess in training at the Fire Temple."

At this, the three shinobi looked at her in interest and she continued, "I was sent for training at the Water Temple, but I took the chance to run away… The priestess lifestyle… It doesn't suit me."

Kakashi nodded in silent affirmation. It didn't answer every question he had, but rarely did first meetings grant all answers. Besides, there was once a child in Konohana who had been sent to the Fire Temple to train as a priestess. It happened shortly after the Kyuubi had razed the village. As it had been the child used to trap the beast, many welcomed the decision.

There was a good chance that this Naru was that child. He briefly wondered if she would have any interest in coming back with them. A free radical should never be left unattended after all.

"Tazuna, I understand why you came to us," Kakashi spoke slowly, "As these two probably aren't going to abandon you now, we'll stay. But I am warning you, no more lies."

Tazuna hung his shoulders in relief. The bridge project just got a huge boost and his family was safe… He hoped. The incident in the forest still shook him a bit.

"That said," Kakashi warned. "I am not planning on telling the village about the fraud, but there will be a price to pay when the mission is complete."

At this Tazuna frowned, but he was in no position to deny the man.

Kakashi continued, "As it is late and there is plenty we must prepare for, I suggest we all retire for the night. Wouldn't want to get a late start on that bridge now, would we?"

* * *

The next morning, the trio of shinobi were gone. No note or indication of where they went. At first Tazuna had thought that they abandoned him, inspite of the words that had been exchanged. However, Naru assured him that shinobi who simply abandoned their charges would not boast a reputation like that of Konohagakure.

With that the aging man relaxed visibly and felt confident enough to go oversee construction, with Naru and Tsunami promising to point the oldest shinobi to the construction project.

Naru's words echoed in his mind as he journeyed to the site, "It's the only place in town where honest work is being done. It's not like they could miss it."

He feared her words rang to truthfully for his own good. Still, he had to trust in her words and the trio of shinobi.

* * *

Kakashi watched over his newly minted team as they practiced their chakra control exercises. The exercise was to channel chakra at the soles of their feet and climb the trees without the use of their hands and without damaging the tree bark.

Sakura had taken to it immediately however, while Sasuke still struggled. Sasuke's tree had sustained enough injury to kill it. To be fair, Sakura had considerably less chakra to pull from, while Sasuke had an above average stamina pool for his age.

Though Sakura had been dismissed from the exercise, she had stayed to "help" Sasuke. He wondered if this was how Rin came off to Minato-sensei. He smiled to himself at the thought. And readied to leave. After all, they could not afford to leave Tazuna couldn't be left alone for long.

He opened his mouth to give final instructions when he noticed Naru approaching. He hadn't gone too far into the forest, but it was still a good distance from Tazuna's home. Naru wasn't a foe, but she was _special_ none the less.

Who even knows what her intentions are?

"Training was not to be seen by just anyone, let alone the uninitiated." Kakashi thought to himself. "Then again its just tree climbing."

"Ho there!" She greeted loudly to make her appearance known. Her left arm moved a little despite the injury.

Sakura was visibly startled and Sasuke broke concentration at the tree's midpoint. The Uchiha bristled ever so slightly at her presence. It was then Kakashi saw a perfect opportunity for the girl.

"Tsunami asked me to bring this to you," Naru stated, holding out three diminutive bentos tied together and wrapped in cloth in her right hand.

Sparse as it was, it smelled quite tasty, even from where he perched, high up in the trees.

"Yo," He said as he popped in with a puff of white smoke.

She caught her surprise fairly well and handed over the goods silently.

"Actually… Naru, was it? I have a favor to ask," He said off handedly. As she nodded, he continued. "I need to get over to Tazuna, however, these two simply can't be trusted to train on their own. Also, since you apparently have some experience with the enemy, your insights could be quite useful to them."

Sakura was stunned and Sasuke looked at her with outright contempt. With this, Kakashi handed the bentos to Sakura and was gone before Naru could even offer an answer.

Shrugging, she looked at the other two and declared weakly, "He forgot his lunch."

And after another moment, "Sakura and Sasuke, was it?"

Sasuke glared at her and returned to his training as Sakura shook her head. Sakura had panicked over this bumpkin for nothing. She was no threat, especially since only one arm was available to her now.

Naru watched silently as the male half of the shinobi duo walked up the tree, as if gravity did not exist. She had never seen anything like it at the temple.

"Sakura," Naru said warmly, "Those symbols on your…hitai-ate? Is that the symbol of your village?"

The pink haired girl somewhat glared at the redhead before nodding stiffly.

"Why do you want one?" Sakura asked, before adding, "Only ninja genin-level or above granted hitai-ate. It takes extreme skill to get one of these!"

Naru nodded distantly wondering if she could climb the tree like Sasuke could. At the temple, medical and defensive training took priority over everything else. Neither of which placed emphasis on moving since most practical applications happened after whatever occurred beforehand.

"_Why not try?"_

She watched as Sasuke slipped into stance and focused, building chakra in the soles of his feet. As soon as he felt he was ready he sprinted towards the tree and up, smooth as a silk. Not including the damage the poor flora took.

"_Indeed, why not try?" _

She found herself walking silently over towards Sasuke, despite Sakura glaring daggers at her. Taking the tree just opposite him and slipped into a similar stance. She looked down at her injured left arm, unsure if she could do it without hurting it at least a little. Still, she had to try.

She could feel the energy pooling at the soles of her feet, it felt surprisingly warm and gentle. She felt it, a simple, calm surge! She raced towards the tree and landed oddly on her left, almost tripping over herself.

The next step she took blew apart the tree, to the shock of herself, Sakura and Sasuke.

"_Well, so ends that."_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I don't own Naruto.

Thanks for the reviews. I started this to better my writing, so hopefully as the story goes, it improves. Also, I snuck in a Skyrim and Final Fantasy XII reference, see if you can find it.

Also, if anyone is interested in being a beta, please let me know. I've never written an action scene before, please let me know if it is confusing, boring, etc.

**Duality**

Chapter Two

The tree had been totally obliterated. Branches and bits of trunk were strewn about in a wide radius, some even embedded in other trees. The stump left behind was all gnarly, like some creature had twisted almost beyond recognition, and then charred it for good measure.

While there was a good deal of shock, none of the three could say they were honestly surprised. However, unknown to them, the reasons were entirely different. Sasuke stared at what remained of the stump, before turning to glare at the girl.

"Priestess, huh?" He said sarcastically.

Even though the difficulty to master such a technique varied from person to person, and some destruction was expected the first few times… That was a bit much.

"The priestess' lifestyle didn't agree with her," Sasuke wondered what that could even mean now.

Sakura trembled, half with fright, half with adrenaline. There was no way that in the time it took it for Naru to channel her chakra that the girl had channeled enough to take the tree out. That was superhuman!

"What was Kakashi-sensei up to anyway?" She wondered.

There was no way to answer either question for sure. Kakashi-sensei had not even bothered to tell them what he liked and disliked, let alone some of his more nefarious machinations. It also was not possible to get a real sense of someone's chakra unless you were facing them in direct combat.

For her part, Naru seemed considerably chastened by the event. Staring apologetically at the pair of ninja, but saying nothing. She was stunned.

The reprimand from that **time** came back to her, dripping with venom.

"**You're strong but those who lack control are dangerous, Uzumaki!" **

The mental echo haunted her.

"I am sorry," Naru said finally. "I… I am skilled with chakra heavy skills, but… the simpler the jutsu is, the harder it is for me to perform."

"Huh? What kind of sense does that make?" Sakura replied, more to herself than anyone else. "Is she saying that a rank D jutsu is harder for her than a rank A?"

The two ninja looked at each other and then back at Naru.

"Look, I don't really know what Kakashi is on about in regards to you," Sasuke started darkly. "But I do know a civilian has no business interrupting our training session! Please leave."

The wind blew gently through the small clearing in the forest. Violet eyes locked with red ones and then the peace was broken.

Naru turned red a little and spat back, "I am no civilian! I am the one who protected Tazuna and his family until now!"

"I guess you protected them better than your arm! Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to be able to heal that?"

"The same way you're supposed to be able to climb that tree?"

"At least I have a tree to climb still!"

Sakura looked back and forth as the pair argued, each getting redder and redder and louder and louder. The whole time thinking that if Naru stepped one foot closer to Sasuke, Sakura would take her down personally.

* * *

At the bridge, Tazuna exemplified the qualities of a good foreman. Kakashi was genuinely impressed with his leadership and craftsmanship, but also the level of safety the older man kept for the workers. The bridge would be done in no time at this point.

Apparently, more bridges were in the works so that Nami no Kuni could become a hub importing and exporting. Certainly, this one would be the bridge that broke Gato's hold. All without raising a single kunai, at least personally, on Tazuna's end. The potential for civilians amazed even him sometimes.

"Tazuna," Kakashi addressed him finally. "I want you to talk to you about Naru."

The older man stared at him almost dumbfounded. Kakashi could swear he had made his arrival known some time ago, but shrugged.

"Aren't you going to speak to her?" Tazuna asked, slightly spooked.

"Later," Kakashi stated simply. "There are questions I have that she might obfuscate."

The old man blinked and turned to look at his workers to see how they were doing on their own. He doubted she would lie to the ninja, but she had not been the most forthcoming when they spoke last night either.

Perhaps the girl was just playing it close to the vest. He did not her very well, but she had been very kind to Inari and other children in the village. It had been her idea to fight fire with fire.

"Of course, it also concerns the price to be paid." Kakashi added as an afterthought.

For a moment the sounds of construction over took the pair. It really was Naru's story to tell, not his...

"What do you want to know?" Tazuna asked finally.

"I want to take Naru back to Konohagakure." Stated Kakashi firmly.

Tazuna was visibly taken aback, although he had thought that might be the case.

"Naru indicated that we were replacements for her," Kakashi continued. "Does that mean she's been fighting?"

Tazuna nodded solemnly. "She…fought several men. I don't know if they were thugs or ninja, like the ones we meet in the forest outside Konohagakure."

"I see," Kakashi said flatly.

Tazuna was positive he could see the cogs turning in his head.

"Did you witness those fights?" Kakashi inquired further.

"No. I've only heard about them secondhand from Inari and Tsunami and several workers." Tazuna stated, his face becoming pained.

Kakashi nodded, deep in thought. Naru really was a free radical then. Leaving her in Nami no Kuni could be dangerous, Kyuubi or no. She was fighting an entire gang of thugs on her own. If Tazuna had not gotten them when he had, undoubtedly, Gato would have retaliated and who knows what could have happened.

If she survived that, let alone with Tazuna and his family in tow. Then surely the Fire Temple would come for her… And if she really was the jinchuriki of Kyuubi, others would soon follow. She couldn't hide that kind of facet anywhere. It was best for her to be protected back in Konohagakure.

"I need to talk to Tsunami and Inari." Kakashi stated more to himself than Tazuna. "I need to know her disposition when she fights."

"Why not just ask her herself?" Tazuna exclaimed.

"I intend to," Kakashi replied evenly. "But the accounts of several people are better than the accounts of one."

* * *

The forest went from thickly wooded to sparse to breaking into a massive field filled with flowers and herbs as Naru walked away from the offending male ninja and his obvious hanger-on.

It was Naru's secret spot as far as she was concerned. Though it was (quite!) a stone's throw from Tazuna's place, it was still pretty remote. It was obvious that the place was mostly untouched, despite a wealth of reagents.

"All that effort to escape and I am still in the same place," She thought sullenly.

* * *

Naru frantically disrobed as the mid-morning sun beamed down on the comparatively serene river and forest backdrop around her. Arranging the articles of clothing carefully on a nearby low hanging branch so that it almost looked like a scarecrow.

She did not want to admit it, but seeing the pristine white haori and the bright red hakama hanging limply on the branch made her sad. It was almost as if her entire life was sitting right before her.

The only item she kept from the outfit was her beloved chain, Shippou no Kitsune.

The ship had made some sort of impromptu stop in Nami no Kuni. She did not know much about the place, except that it was recently referred to as a "den of inequity" by her overseers at the temple. It was the time to strike, if she was going to disappear.

The country was on the brink of snapping between its isolated position and apparent and rampant criminal activity. An ingénue being snatched up amid the chaos would not raise too many eyebrows.

With one step complete, the next step was probably the hardest. Hastily, Naru produced a "borrowed" knife from a local merchant. An ordinary kitchen knife.

She bore down on her left arm with knife.

"_If only you could heal yourself," a voice mocked from deep within._

She ignored it, even though the truth stung a bit more than her many cuts.

It needed to be convincing enough that the temple would be thrown off her trail for a bit. She finally stopped when she was satisfied the area, not to mention her ruined and shredded robes, were soaked in blood.

She quickly cleaned and bandaged her wounded arm. Soon enough she found herself clothed in similarly a "borrowed" black dress with matching black gloves. Lastly, she tied the red sash around her waist, carefully laying the chain over it.

The look was finished off with sandals she had never seen the like before. They were little more than black bands with a circular pad centered on the arch of the foot and a couple of inches off the ground. Oddly, Naru found herself remarkably balanced with her feet just shy of the earth.

"I guess someone in Nami no Kuni doesn't like shoes," she thought to herself. "They are surprisingly comfy though."

The next order of business was to dump some of her old clothes in the river and abandon the site. The other half she dirtied further with earth and grass and tore at them by hand before leaving them strewn about, near the bloodied site.

Before trampling and damaging the site by foot, hand and knife.

"Perfect," she said looking at the chaos and devastation. "Just like the scene of a murder!"

And with that, she was gone.

Although her arm rang dully with pain, she was actually quite happy. No more pressure to succeed, no more edicts and instructions to adhere to. Most of all, the future was hers. That stupid voice had not even said much of anything today.

She did not know where she was going, but it did not matter.

That was when she heard a cry for help. Naru stopped in her tracks as two aggressive looking men walked in her direction. Both were armed to the teeth and roughly handling a small boy, screaming his head off as they tried to muffle him. The more he thrashed, the tighter the grip became.

Naru did not need to know anything else.

She threw herself at the one holding the boy, the surprise lunge loosening the miscreant's grip on the boy and knocking him to the ground. The next hit she delivered was a kick to the other man's chest, using the momentum from the first hit. He landed some ways away from Naru and the boy.

She landed and stayed crouched close to the ground, ready to attack again, if she had to.

"I don't know who you are," Naru shouted angrily. "But no one will bring harm to any child in my presence!"

The boy stared at her bewildered and she temporarily turned her gaze to him to scan for serious injuries. Naru noted the bandages on her left arm were starting to feel wet. She shook her head.

It was not like she could help him. With her level of chakra control, she was liable to blow him up. Still, he wasn't hurt and that was the important thing.

Naru returned her attention to the two men, who were now on their feet, swords drawn and angry. The boy curled into a ball, as if the act would make the situation disappear.

Naru was never one to yield.

From her crouched position, she lunged again. This time, to end the fight, rather than save the child.

Before either the first man could react, she had already knocked him back a good distance, as his sword fell from his grip. Forcing the other man, to do a 180 and completely ignore the frightened boy. She turned to face the other man, gracefully stomping on the base of the other man's neck.

"One down," She said, more to herself than anyone else.

The man rushed her, his blade wildly flailing about as she evaded each strike. As the barrage slowed, she watched the man's movements carefully waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

Soon, his both his arms were raised over head to strike from above. That was when Naru kicked as hard as could, nearly performing a standing split. The force of the blow, knocked him into the air and he landed hard on his back. Confident the man would not be up anytime soon, Naru checked on the boy.

"Are you okay?" She asked gently, touching his back to reassure him.

The boy looked at her with tears in his eyes, but made no attempt to answer.

"Poor thing. They must've really scared you."

The boy was quietly sobbing and attempting to sputter some sort of reply, but the words were garbled in tears. She could not help but think the kid was cute, crying or not. He needed his parents though, not her.

"C'mon, I'll take you-"

Before she could finish, she was knocked into the water by the first man. The two fighters tumbled into the water and disappeared beneath the surface of the river. The boy could only watch.

A large figure could be seen being swept away quickly downstream. The boy looked anxiously at the water. Nami no Kuni was known for its many rivers and which in turn were famous for their strong undercurrents. It was very likely the girl would drown down there.

No one else was around to help them. He saw no other choice but to try and pull her out himself. He was frightened, but he knew he still had to try.

* * *

Naru shook her head of the memory.

"What you can't control is dangerous," she whispered to herself.

Her lack of discipline frightened her. There was something deep down inside she just could not control. And rather than try to anymore, she decided to run away. Watching the young ninja train just reminded her of her own past failures, which made her feel angry and inept.

It was then she noticed a crouched figure in the distance and turned to leave. She was loathe to expend the violence of her present mood on a stranger.

"You don't have to go." Came the feminine voice of the stranger.

The redhead spun around, a smirk appearing on her face. "You caught me."

It had only been a second, but in that moment, Naru was positive the divines were blessing her with the presence of a good looking male. A well-shaped face and nose were framed by long, raven hair with dark, piercing eyes to match. He had a slim build with was dressed in a simple pink and yellow kimono and a deep red scarf around his throat.

"Did you come to pick herbs for your arm?" He asked, looking intently at her injured left.

Unconsciously, Naru wiggled it. "Yeah, it's been slow to heal, but I don't really need 'em."

The boy smiled. "Then are you here to gather them for a precious person?"

Naru eyed the boy seriously, before frowning. "Where I was raised, emotional restraint was strictly enforced. Besides, I can't really gather much at the moment. I mostly came out of habit."

"I see," the boy said. "Well, you're a pretty girl. I am sure you'll find that precious person in no time."

With that the boy smiled again and left. She could not help but think the boy was far prettier than her!

* * *

By the time Naru returned to the home of Tazuna, the others were sitting around the table. Inari and Tsunami faces were wrapped in a cloak of worry.

"Had the shinobi told them of the incident in the forest?" Naru wondered. "But they wouldn't react in worry…would they? Fear, maybe."

Upon seeing her enter the room, Inari stood up suddenly and launched himself at her, in tears.

"I-Inari!" She said staring down at the little one's cap covered head.

"Don't leave!" Inari shouted, gripping her leg tighter and tighter. "I'll be a good boy, just don't leave."

She stared at the others in wonder. "Where would I be going exactly?"

Tsunami got up and slowly pried Inari from Naru's leg and held him, before the boy bolted to his room. Tsunami shot Naru an apologetic look and went to comfort him.

"Naru," Kakashi said solemnly. "We need to talk."

The tone made the redhead nervous, but she stilled herself and approached the man as Tazuna, Sasuke and Sakura excused themselves.

"I need to know…" Kakashi said slowly.

She looked at Kakashi nervously.

"Are you able to fight?" Kakashi finished.

Reflexively, she touched her injured arm. A serious look washing over her face as a realization hit.

"If I have too."

"You're going to have to..." Kakashi answered, punctuated with a sigh.

Even he was unsure of the truth of that statement.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I don't own Naruto.

Rewrote this chapters several times. I decided it tell it from Naru's point of view. I hope you guys enjoy it. I will probably go back and rewrite/re-edit the proceeding chapters for clarity and brevity.

Split this chapter into two parts.

**Duality**

Chapter Three

Naru hesitated for a moment.

The silver haired man was sizing her up, a feeling she was used to. Many visiting nobles and samurai had done the same, but few had done so on the basis of fighting ability. They merely wanted to know if she were capable delivering funeral rites… if such services were needed.

The man had not said the words yet, but the implication was there. The jonin was all but asking her to return to Konoha with the trio, presumably to enlist as part ninja force.

That was a big leap in her mind. It wasn't like she had a rock solid plan other than get away from the temple either. She had made numerous vows as well, vows which did mesh particularly well with the shinobi lifestyle.

The redhead was not as adamant about keeping those vows, but being any kind of fighter could drastically impair or shorten one's lifestyle. What if she was asked to do something she found reprehensible? The three leaf nin were actually quite decent, but they would not be here were they not getting paid to be here.

Her mind raced, barely giving the other man any attention.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head. It was not unprecedented to recruit a foreign shinobi, but the man was hard pressed to name a case where it happened with priest or otherwise. Still, truth be told, Sandaime had always expected the return of a certain person from the cloth.

She probably had more questions than he handle at the moment. Honestly, he was not sure he could them all. After all, there were lines that he could not cross without permission. Besides, there were other "ears" to consider.

"I can't answer all your questions," Kakashi said finally. "But there is no future here for you. Why not come to Konoha and try your hand as a shinobi?"

There was a thoughtful pause on Kakashi's end, before he added, "We'll know immediately whether you have the talent for it. If not, I am sure the Sandaime will take you in regardless."

Naru's head snapped at that. Why would the Hokage be willing to take in a low ranking priestess such as herself?

"This situation," Naru thought solemnly. "It's quite strange."

"_You don't even know the half of it," a voice countered. _

* * *

Sasuke exchanged a serious look with Sakura as they listened into the conversation between their jonin leader and the red headed girl they just met. Kakashi was choosing his words very carefully, so carefully, the eavesdropping duo figured their teacher was aware of their presence.

It was one thing to continue a mission that a client intentionally misrepresented. It was quite another to escort a stranger back with the intention of having her join the ranks…

It was true that an odd number of candidates had graduated from the academy this year, forcing the genin team with the number one student to be shorthanded. It was a rarity, but there were advantages to such a formation. However, was the village that hard up?

"The tree. Just the tree…" Sasuke thought. "She has no control! He can't just bring her back. We don't even know who she is!"

Bringing her back was out of the question in his mind. She did not bring anything to the table and would only take up valuable time from his training with Kakashi.

Sasuke eyed his pink haired teammate, she looked lost in thought, having arrived at the same conclusion.

* * *

The next morning was similar to the start of the last one. Once again, Sasuke and Sakura headed out to train in the forest. This time, however, Kakashi was escorting Tazuna to the bridge personally.

"The tree climbing exercise was one of great importance," Naru was told by Kakashi as he left. "Those who can move in battle have the advantage of attacking from anywhere. It also reinforces chakra control skill."

It was true. Naru had meet many warriors and strategists at the temple, it was hard to find those who specialized in anything other than melee and equine. Even the instruction of archery to temple trainees was more vestigial than anything.

The man had promised to give her full instruction on the technique, if she became an official shinobi of Konohagakure. She had said nothing in reply. It was not until recently that chakra control had been a real issue and her effort to re-learn it had strained her relationship with her instructor.

Left alone with Tsunami and Inari, the day had passed easily enough. Tsunami instructed Inari on his school work, as it was dangerous to send the boy to school as of late. As the lunch hour passed, and the day grew late, Tsunami grew worried over Sakura and Sasuke's absence.

It was true that the two were full-fledged ninja from Konohagakure, but to Tsunami, they were children. Children who ran off into the forest with no supplies and children who fought to protect the life of her father and the future of Nami no Kuni. Powerful children, but children none the less. In Tsunami's mind, they were no so different from Inari. Naru included.

"Naru," Tsunami prodded. "Do you think the others are okay?"

Naru lazily looked up at the dark haired woman, as she lied on her back near the dining table. She was concerned herself, though more about Sasuke and Sakura than Tazuna and Kakashi. Tazuna often packed a bento, scared to leave the bridge alone for too long. He even paid workers to stay at the construction site at night, sometimes doing it himself with Naru on hand.

Who could blame the bridge builder?

Naru never voiced this thought, but if Gato really wanted to, he could blow up the bridge. She figured Gato was either just that bored or really full of himself. Tazuna was paranoid enough to take care of himself, especially to have gotten so far on his own without even raising a weapon. He had even managed to travel all the way to Konohagakure with three skilled ninja hunting him.

Sasuke and Sakura, on the other hand, were capable enough. Neither had taken food or even water with them though. Maybe they were expecting her to bring it once again. Food was becoming a luxury in these parts though, Tazuna would probably be forced to stop for it on the way home.

"Tazuna has Kakashi looking after him," She replied finally, yawning. "And Sakura and Sasuke have each other to rely on…"

Tsunami finished where Naru trailed off, "And we have you!"

Naru nodded earnestly, not bothering to sit up. Her long red hair was splayed about her and she seemed totally relaxed despite her troubled thoughts. Still, she rose to her feet and walked over to the entrance door.

"I'll tell them you said 'Hi.'" Naru said with her hand gripping the door knob. "Please don't let anyone in unless it's me. You know the emergency escape plan, don't you?"

The older woman nodded, protectively placing her arm over Inari, who seemed uneasy.

* * *

Naru ran as fast as she could through the forest. The clearing where Sasuke and Sakura practiced their tree climbing had been empty. The only other place to check was the bridge, where she was currently headed.

The trees began to taper into another clearing, a much larger one than where the genin had practiced. She then noticed a small form lying near the center of the clearing, writhing every now and then discomfort.

She slowed considerably as she reached the figure. A low squeal could be heard as she got closer, only then did she see the series of painful looking slashes across the poor creature, a wild boar. Its blood poured furiously from his wounds and seeped into the ground around it.

She stopped completely when she realized no hunter could have done this to the animal. Nor would he have left it there, not when food was hard to come by. It was unlikely a hunter's knife could have slashed as deeply either.

"No, it was-!" Naru realized with unadulterated panic.

She scooped up the boar carefully in her right arm, not caring about the sudden dampness or stains it left on the side of her outfit. She raced quickly towards Tazuna's home, cursing the concern that drove her to leave Tsunami and Inari on their own.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura watched the construction underway on the bridge that would connect Nami no Kuni to Hi no Kuni.

Sasuke had mastered the tree climbing exercise and although both were eager to learn more from their instructor, Kakashi said it was time to focus on the mission. The intensity with which the man had said the words made the duo wonder if their teacher could sense something in the air.

The bridge was very close to completion after all. They could only watch Tazuna as he barked orders harshly, making arrangements for the final section of the bridge to under way. The base had already been completed and the skeletal frame for the roadway was well under way.

It was well past noon when a strange, thick fog rolled in. Before long, all anyone could see at the construction site was fog and the warped and oddly distant visage of other people. The three ninja braced themselves, knowing what was coming next.

Sasuke and Sakura rushed over to guard Tazuna, while Kakashi stood further away determined to protect all three.

* * *

Tsunami heard a knock at the door, rattling her nerves.

It was not the firm but gentle knock of the leaf nin staying temporarily at their abode. It was rough and angry and sinister. Inari seemed to catch this as well as he inched away from the door and closer to her, who was moving towards the kitchen with great haste.

The older, raven haired woman was backing away herself. She remembered the emergency escape plan, but still found herself reaching for a kitchen knife and taking pains to conceal it.

The knock grew louder and louder and angrier and angrier.

_CRACK!_

The front door splintered apart violently. Two youngish looking men cruelly smiling as they peered into the home and entered, one armed with a blood smeared katana. Fear gripped the woman and child as the men were quick to set themselves upon them, weapons drawn. Tsunami pushed Inari away and actually past one of the thugs as one snatched a handful of her hair.

"You're the daughter of that old bastard building the bridge…" The ruffian with a fistful of her her trailed off.

It was a more a statement than actual question, but Tsunami held her tongue, even as he painfully twisted and yanked on her hair. Inari froze, unwilling to abandon his mother, though unable to help her.

"We're here to tie up loose ends," The other thug stated. "We're gonna crush the rest of Kaiza's family and Nami no Kuni will finally be Gato's for the takin'!"

Tsunami's hand gripped the knife tightly and slashed the first thug's arm, forcing him to let go of her hair in surprise. She rushed towards Inari as the second man lunged for her. A gloved right hook flew through the air, carefully timed for the lunging man. It caught everyone off guard and sent the receiver careening into the cabinets of the small kitchen.

"Naru!" Tsunami and Inari shouted in unison.

The girl quickly pounced on the other man knocking him out rather easily.

Naru turned and smiled weakly. "Thank goodness I found you in time. Who knows what they would have done to you two otherwise."

Tsunami got a misty look in her eye as she held Inari tightly. Once again Naru had saved her family, near effortlessly too. Inari was beaming and ran to hug his savior once again.

Naru frowned, "Tsunami, could you fetch those herbs I used for my arm? My little friend needs medical attention."

With that the teen pointed towards the shattered door, where a wild boar was lying. The poor beast was badly cut up and honestly did not look like it would make it. Regardless, Tsunami nodded and rushed off to get the herbs.

* * *

Naru proceeded to search the two unconscious men and began to bind them with their own rope. Shaking, the redhead struggled not to think about what use the men had intended to use them for.

A clang echoed through the mist filled air.

The point of origin undetermined, though it sounded relatively close. The roar of water soon resounded through the area, but the mist was making it difficult to determine what the cause of it was. Kakashi had long ago disappeared into the shrouding mist to face the Demon of the Mist. It was a stressful situation for the two genin.

A sebon came whizzing through the air suddenly, coming dangerously close to Tazuna's face. The old bridge builder nearly stumbled back as a smallish figure rushed in with kunai drawn, ready to attack.

Sasuke knew that he had to protect Tazuna and Sakura as well. He knew the future of Nami no Kuni depended on the survival of the bridge builder. He smirked despite himself though.

Standing before him, as if to challenge the Uchiha was the supposed hunter nin… The very same one who had spirited Zabuza away before their arrival the first night at Tazuna's home. The teen genius nearly shook with excitement, taking the other nin down would be a worthy challenge.

Before the figure drew any closer, Sasuke lunged at him. Leaving Sakura to defend Tazuna on her own. Momentary panic crossed the face of the pink haired girl as her teammate abandoned her and their client.

She was kunoichi, but to simply abandon her there with Tazuna and run off into the blinding mist… Sakura gulped, thinking "Protecting Tazuna is my main priority now…"

* * *

Naru came to a stop upon seeing the bridge in the distance, panting.

"Almost there," She thought tiredly, eying the bridge.

The site stretched out before her eerily quiet, fading into an unusual fog. She was not too surprised given the attempted intrusion on Tazuna's family and home, but the fog was impenetrable. She sincerely hoped that the trio of leaf nins were protecting Tazuna and the bridge.

She took a step closer when something caught her eye on the water near the base of the bridge's support column.

"A boat?"

She stopped and closely examined the water, indeed spotting a large rowboat anchored at the first support column from the shore. A figure disembarked and disappeared into the obstructive mist.

"That's bad!" Naru cringed.

There was no reason for anyone to be near that position. She scanned the bridge's vincinity and noticed several more boats sailing outwards towards other support columns presumably. The distance and the mist obscured good portions of the bridge and seawater.

"They're going to collapse the entire span!" She realized suddenly.

It was perfect.

In one catastrophic swoop, Gato would kill all the workers and Tazuna and with them the hopes of thousands in Nami no Kuni. There would be few left in the village with the ability to engineer and execute such a plan. Not to mention that Tazuna had sunk many of the town's resources into the project.

Gato really would rule over the land!

Gato had to have been desperate because of Tazuna's ability to quickly erect a bridge that would connect to Hi no Kuni and the older man's success in seeking out the Leaf ninja. Naru looked down at her left arm, still bandaged and in a sling. If she failed to act, many would die. She removed the sling and began to test the muscles in her left arm.

It was time to fight, no matter her fears and worries.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I don't own Naruto.

I am glad everyone enjoyed the twist I added last chapter. I hope future chapters can give more pleasant surprises. I appreciate the feedback as well, it has been very helpful. Next chapter is the conclusion of the conflict and the fun in Konoha will begin.

Happy Independence Day, my fellow Americans. For my international readers, I hope you enjoy your independence as well. Please remember that not everyone has the rights and liberties we all enjoy.

**Duality**

Chapter Four

"He's kiting me," Sasuke thought, as he followed the fake hunter nin away from Sakura and Tazuna.

The pretender stopped suddenly, turning on his heel to face the Uchiha. Sasuke smirked, this would be his first fight that could truly measure his strength and skill as a shinobi. He was shaking in excitement.

"My name is Haku Yuki," The stranger spoke suddenly. His hands formed a seal Sasuke did not recognize, "Hijutsu, Makyo Hyosho."

"Sasuke Uchiha," He stated calmly. He wondered what the other boy was up to.

The temperature suddenly dropped. It became so cold so quickly, the prodigy did not know what to make of it. Haku stepped back in a mirror of ice, melting in to it almost. The fake seemed so resigned to Sasuke.

In spite of that, a dome of ice mirrors glared every now and then with Haku's reflection. The prodigy felt cut off from Kakashi and the others. For a moment, Sasuke hesitated. The short, raven haired boy was certain no matter what move he made, it was likely to be ineffective. The spiky haired teen then quickly formed the seals for Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu.

Haku frowned behind his mask, "You can't break my mirrors with an attack that weak!"

The massive flare hit the ice mirror which weakened somewhat but did not shatter. Could this be a kekkei genkai?

Haku readied his senbon in retaliation. The ice user was conflicted about the mission he was to carryout.

"Focus attention away from the bridge and stall Tazuna and the Leaf nin," Haku reminded himself. "Wait for the signal and retreat."

A moment passed for the would-be hunter. He imagined the shrieks of terror and pain that would erupt from the bridge as the explosive tags were set off. The seawater would be awash in blood, steel and concrete.

"It would be a mercy to kill them all before then." Haku decided.

He threw the prepared senbon with the intent to kill. Several landed and slowed the boy down, who was charging the mirror with great speed and force with an enviable chakra enhanced right hook. Haku leapt from his current mirror to the one directly behind his opponent.

Haku's movements were so fast, Sasuke could not perceive it and shattered an empty mirror. Another took its place almost immediately. The Mist nin immediately countered with a more thrown senbon needles. Sasuke felt his left arm and abdominal muscles cramp tightly and then loosen, turning numb.

The Uchiha grit his teeth in pain, turning to glare at the fake hunter nin.

* * *

Kakashi watched his opponent hidden in the mist carefully. The hitai-ate he usually wore over his right eye was gone, allowing him to use his special gift: sharingan.

It struck him as odd that two jonin of their respective backgrounds would be unable to break the stalemate they were currently gripped with. A typical battle between two ninja was not meant to go beyond the fifteen minute mark. Anything beyond that was a battle of attrition or a stall tactic.

He could almost sense the kunai slicing through the foggy air and dodged them effortlessly. The Demon of the Mist followed through with a ferocious series of slashes with his massive Kubikiribocho. The silver haired man jumped back a good distance as Zabuza Momochi slashed downward, diagonally with his final strike, using enough force to crack the pavement on the bridge.

"Zabuza, what are you up to?" Kakashi questioned sternly, glaring in response to the perceived damage.

The opposing nin spat back viciously, "That's for me to know and you to die wondering!"

The nuke nin rapidly formed the hand seals for Mizu Bushin no Jutsu, summoning four clones. Each one leaped for Kakashi, weapon drawn.

Zabuza took the opportunity for a breather physically and mentally. "What's taking Gato so damn long!? Where's the signal?"

Kakashi easily evaded the vertical sword strike the mizu bushin attempted and forcefully kicked the clone away. It disappeared in a splash. The other bushin were dispatched as quickly and easily.

The two nin were a good distance apart now, but not for long. Every attempt the Leaf nin made to utilize ninjutsu, the other man interrupted. Even trying to influence Zabuza with sharingan was a limited success, since it meant furthering the stalemate.

* * *

Naru stood on the shore, just underneath the bridge Gato was attempting to collapse.

It was a deceptively simple creation. It stretched over the ocean to Hi no Kuni and stood on two parallel aligned support columns. It was designed to take hits from earthquakes and hurricanes, but would it survive Gato's machinations?

"_It will if you rely on me. Trust in me to guide you."_

The voice spoke to her again. Sometimes it was a sweet and personable fried, other times a harsh critic and occasionally it was a placating corrupter. Regardless, she always ignored it. She may not be as savvy as Sakura seemed or intelligent as Sasuke, but no good could come from a voice no one else could hear.

Naru cleared her head of the voice and put her nerves to rest. "I must protect Tazuna. I must protect the hopes and dreams of Nami no Kuni."

She formed a simple hand seal. Her index and middle finger on her right hand extended straight upwards, while her ring finger and pinkie were folded over in front of her chest. Her left hand mirrored her right, while her thumbs cupped each hand.

A shinobi would recognize this seal as a basic one meant to facilitate the channeling of chakra. A priest would recognize the seal as one for the most basic chakra barrier.

The ocean before her calmed ever so slightly and the just below its surface, she could feel it. A barrier! A narrow chakra barrier stretched out to the base of the support column. It was a little underwater, but she could cross without having to risk swimming now. She stepped on the barrier carefully, testing its strength. A relieved smile appeared on her face as she rushed forward in the mist wrapped scenery.

* * *

Nakashima lazily slapped explosive tag after explosive tag on the right support column's base.

He snickered at his handiwork. Zabuza's plan hinged on a team of climbers skilled enough to scale the bridge's many support columns and plant the tags under the cover of the mist and the battle. After all the boats returned and the signal was received, Zabuza would detonate the tags and the bridge would implode. There were more tags near where the bridge connected to the columns as well.

It had not been easy. Zabuza had promised it was going to be one hell of a show, though!

Even if the plan did not succeed, the boats were going to be anchored and the entire gang would make its presence known at the bridge. Gato had finally had enough of the bridge builder, he had even sent two men to the poor guy's home.

"Hee… They won't know what hit 'em," He said gleefully.

Off in the distance, he heard a peculiar splashing. It almost sounded like footsteps. He craned his head to investigate, but the mist shrouded all.

"Hurry up!" Someone hissed from the boat. Others joined in urging him to finish up.

Before he could scurry down the column, he heard the crunch of wood and the cry of the other men in panic. He froze. He heard another crunch and the cries became angry, before finally hearing another crunch that ended with a splintering noise. Multiple splashes resounded through the air.

"What the hell is going on down there?" He asked panicked.

There was only so much time left and he was certain he could not out swim the initial blast or the blast zone. Staying meant certain death.

* * *

Naru reached up, just above her head and yanked the ankle of the man holding the pillar. The man gave a sharp cry of surprise and felt gravity slam him against something warm, wet and hard. It was almost enough to knock him out.

Naru nudged the man into the cool water with her foot without much thought and disregarded the man's subsequent floundering and whining. Turning her attention to the pillar, she pulled off one of the tags before her.

It was a thin strip of white paper with "baku" (literally explode) circled on it, surrounded by other special writing on it. She counted at least two dozen explosive tags, right in front of her.

"That man was climbing the left support column when I first saw him." She thought. "There must be more at the top as well."

Her heart sank at the realization. Gato's gang had placed possibly hundreds of tags along the bridge. It would take a huge lift to be rid of them all. A _huge_ lift.

"I am better at chakra heavy skills…"

The words came back so quickly to her, Naru felt relieved. "Of course! I can use that combination." The apprentice took a minute to calm herself and clear her head.

The first technique would be Kimei no Kekkai (literally, signature of barrier) would let her trace and contain all the explosive tags, given time. The second jutsu would be Hakanai Fuuin (literally, empty seal) would void every seal in the first barrier.

The jutsu were specifically developed for priests who gave rites at massive battlefields before the bodies were interred, where tags could still be an issue. Even though mass graves like that were a thing of the past, it was still a mandatory jutsu taught at the Fire Temple.

It was advised to wait a minimum of two minutes before shifting into the follow up jutsu.

"I have to be careful," She thought. "I don't want to set off any of the tags."

"_It is only a matter of time until they learn your true nature? Let the fox out of the bag!"_

She paid the voice in her head little mind. She quickly performed the required hand seals, finishing with a focused, "Kimei no kekkai."

One by one, each explosive tag lit up with a snug, tiny cube of bluish chakra surrounding it. The effect was centered closely to Naru, before rippling out at a decent pace. The girl tried hard to envision the bridge as it stretched out to Hi no Kuni to help with tracing the explosive tags.

She honestly did not know if she had the two minutes the jutsu needed.

* * *

Kakashi nearly shook his head in disbelief as a pouch situated near Zabuza's waist glowed in a curious blue manner. The jonin was not certain because of the distance, but it looked like the glow was from the inside the leather carrier.

The Mist nin seemed equally surprised and immediately removed the highly visible item and tossed it away. "What trickery is this?" Zabuza demanded.

Kakashi made no effort to answer, taking the opportunity to summon his pack. For a moment the other man thought the blue light was one of the copy-nin's infamous "1,000 jutsu." Upon glaring at the jonin through the fog, Zabuza noticed the other man's odd lighting around his midsection. The light seemed to emanate from behind the silver haired man.

"What the hell is going on around here," Zabuza growled to himself. "I should have gotten the signal a long time ago!"

Zabuza threw multiple kunai, even rushing the other man. It was all in vain, it was too late.

"Kuchiyose, Doton! Tsuiga!" Kakashi called out, his hands lightly tough the pavement on the bridge.

As quickly as the light appeared, it was gone. The Demon of the Mist found himself surrounded by ninken, who bit down on his shoulders, arms and legs to keep him in place. He could barely move.

"It's over, Zabuza." Kakashi said coolly, rapidly forming hand seals and beginning to charge Raikiri safely.

* * *

Sasuke shook his right arm as he tried to regain feeling and movement for what seemed to be the umpteenth time.

The Uchiha felt as if he had learned Haku's movement pattern and even became proficent at breaking the other nin's mirrors. However, it had put him no closer to ending the battle. Neither nin were able to land a tide-turning blow.

Haku heard a great noise in the distance like the crackle of electricity, the Uchiha momentarily acknowledged the noise too. The Yuki knew immediately that Zabuza was in trouble, but the copy-nin was more than a match for him.

He had to act quickly, otherwise he might lose the person most precious to him.

Haku prepared another strike, causing Sasuke to ready himself for another senbon barrage. It surprised him greatly when the pretender slipped out of the mirror and made a break for it in the opposite direction.

"Sakura! Tazuna!" Sasuke shouted in surprise, his voice seemed to echo. The demonic mirrors disappeared into the mist and Sasuke chased after the fleeing boy.

He was furious that other ninja had just abandoned the fight and gave chase. The mask had made the faux hunter nin unreadable, but Sasuke could tell somewhat that the nin was stalling. Maybe the reason he was stalling was gone?

* * *

Sakura's head snapped at hearing her name called, never dropping her guard. She heard footsteps in the mist, coming rapidly at her.

"Friend or foe?" The pink haired girl wondered worriedly.

She readied herself as the running silhouette loomed on top of her. She shifted back to ensure the protection of Tazuna. The hunter nin was on top of them. Before Sakura could even process the event, the Mist nin had violently shoved them back towards the edge of the bridge. The fake delivered an even more powerful shove to the pair.

"**AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" **

Sasuke skid to a stop as the screams shook him to his core.

"I failed," Sasuke whispered.

Tazuna would not come home that night to his loving daughter and needy grandchild. The bridge might not be finished due to the loss of his leadership and tenacity. Sakura would be unable to return to her proud parents in Konohagakure.

How would he explain his failure to Kakashi, let alone the Hokage?

"I failed," He repeated, his black eyes going wide.

The Uchiha's eyes fell on the barely visible form of the nin, who still had his back turned to him, coal black eyes turned to blood red ones with one tomoe.

* * *

Naru looked at the explosive tag in her hand, letting out a sigh of relief.

It was blank and looked like an ordinary piece of paper. They would need to be removed as soon as possible. For now, she took as many with her as possible. She needed to alert the others about the attempt on the bridge.

This was Gato's desperation attack. What did he have up his sleeve if this one failed?

"Minawa Kekkai (Bubble Barrier)!" She shouted, building her chakra carefully.

The redhead concentrated on forming three barriers. One, cylindrical in shape she positioned to her immediate right, just out from underneath the bridge. The other directly above it, shaped like a half sphere and angled at the bridge. The final one, she hoped, was on the bridge and would break her fall.

If not, she could wind up broken.

She silently prayed this would work. She hopped on the barrier on her right and found herself gently bounced into the second barrier and ricocheting into the third. Rather than catch her, as she had anticipated, she found herself forcefully propelled down the span rapidly, towards the construction site.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The voice in her head laughed mockingly.

* * *

Kakashi found his concentration utterly broken by the sudden outburst. The chakra he had so carefully gathered in his right hand had quickly dissipated in the span of a few seconds. Had that cry really belonged to Tazuna and Sakura?

Zabuza gave a cruel laugh at the other jonin, even as the ninken dug their fangs deeper into his flesh. "It sounds like my tool has taken care of that bridge builder pest."

"Keep him still," Kakashi said coolly to his ninken. "Fuuton, Harau Kaze (Purify Wind)."

A gentle breeze swept away the obstructive fog. For the first time in nearly thirty minutes, the sun beamed on the bridge, shining down on the remaining workers, the equipment, and the skeletal frame waiting for the workers to finish. Most importantly, it illuminated Sasuke and the fake hunter nin.

The two stood alone near the edge of the bridge, Sasuke staring at the other boy, who was looking at the edge of the bridge.

Although that portion of the bridge was complete, it was lacking a guard. Had the enemy shinobi knocked them over the edge? The bridge stood about five meters (sixteen feet and six inches) over the water, but a fall from that height could still kill.

Kakashi turned away from the scene mournfully. The second he turned his back, a red and black blur flew past him, with a odd cry.

"Naru?" Kakashi questioned confused. "She was supposed to stay with Tsunami and Inari."

Like an aimed projectile, the girl took out both Sasuke and the other ninja. Kakashi inwardly flinched, "That looked painful."

The three landed in a massive pile, with kunai, shuriken and senbon scattered about them, inches away from the cordoned off area, where the bridge's building materials were left. The jonin doubted anyone would be picking themselves up after that. Kakashi's eyes returned to the spot the younger mist nin had occupied.

A small hand clasped the edge of the bridge.

Kakashi rushed over, cursing himself for not noticing sooner and praising his female student. Sakura was a lot of things, but above all, she was a quick thinker. He checked over the edge and there she was, one hand on the bridge and the other tightly gripping Tazuna. The duo must have been afraid to even move.

"That must have been why the other boy was staring over the edge, when Sasuke was focused on him." Kakashi thought, as he helped the pair back to solid ground. "Why didn't he finish them off?"

The answer would have to wait.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I don't own Naruto.

So many versions of this chapter. One where Zabuza and Haku died, but Gato lived (and would be seen once again in the Tsunade arc). One where all three of them died. One where Haku was the one that lived. One where Zabuza lived. Even the way Gato died changed, it originally took place on the bridge and the killer threw him off of it.

**Duality**

Chapter Five

Naru climbed to her feet with a pained expression, hand massaging her forehead. She could reasonably say the first bounce was an accident, the subsequent times, not so much. Still, it seemed like it had gotten her where she needed to be.

She stood before the two downed figures sprawled before her. One was Sasuke was picking himself up, with both hands gripping his sides. The other was…

"You're the boy from the forest!" Naru said, a smile instantly covering her pain.

"Stop. Flirting. With him." Sasuke grit out.

Already, Sasuke was keeping an eye on the fake hunter nin.

"Yes, sir!" Naru replied insincerely, scratching her full, crimson head.

Haku sat up, still sitting on the ground, stunned. "I—yes. I didn't know there were four Leaf nins. Zabuza said there were only three…"

Before Naru could respond, Kakashi had appeared behind her, applying light, but painful pressure to her shoulder with his gloved right hand. She stiffened, but quickly remembered why she was there in the first place.

She produced the blank tags, nearly shoving them in his face. "Gato sent men to place explosive tags on the support columns. I think I managed to get rid of most of them, but there still might be a few active ones."

"So, that was their play all along," Kakashi responded.

"That's not all," Naru added. "There's also the fact that the boats were brimming with men. If the bridge doesn't go…"

"Then they'll be arriving soon…" Kakashi finished.

The mission had drastically become more complex than Team 7 had bargained for. Protecting Tazuna was easy, but escorting two prisoners back and a new recruit was nigh impossible. It was not like either Mist nin could be allowed to leave either. On top of that, it was not like either could be placed in prison.

At the moment, Tazuna was safe. The bridge builder was gripping the last section of guardrail on the bridge, with Sakura sitting very close by. Both were shaken and no worse for the wear. Of all methods to kill Tazuna, the Mist nin had chosen the least efficient.

"Could it be that the boy lacks the will to do it?" Kakashi wondered.

For the moment, Zabuza was a non-entity so long as the ninken held him. Killing him right now would make the younger Mist nin hostile once again. In addition, the bridge was at risk, if so much as even one tag was still active.

Honestly speaking, it just the batch of inactive ones Naru had was overkill. One hell of statement by Gato, either way.

"Do you want to earn _your_ right to live, fake hunter nin?" Kakashi asked hurriedly.

The jonin could see a mob approaching. From the look of their implements, they looked to be civilians and not any of Gato's gang.

"I am Zabuza's tool," the younger Mist nin answered coolly. "I don't exist without Zabuza."

"This is a limited time offer," Kakashi confessed. "I can kill Zabuza at any time… But, there's no reason to do so if the reason you're acting against us is gone."

"In other words, you want me to kill Gato." The response was more of a statement than a question.

"Do that and I'll release you and Zabuza. Of course, I'll still be reporting your last whereabouts... But at least you'll have your lives." Kakashi finished.

The Mist nin made no effort to answer the silver haired man. No amount of questioning would give younger nin satisfactory answers. Sometimes in the life of the ninja, action would have to suffice.

Sasuke looked dubious for a moment, thinking, "This situation is eerily similar to the Bell Test."

The Uchiha looked at Sakura for confirmation, but the pink haired girl was out of earshot. Instead, she and Tazuna were greeting the crowd of people. Judging by their appearance and the presence of Tsunami and Inari, they were there for support.

Naru looked back and forth between Kakashi and the boy from the forest. "This is a joke, right?" Naru questioned. "I mean, I think Gato is a monster, no doubt. Are you really asking this boy to kill him?"

Kakashi steeled himself. "Naru, the shinobi world is a morally ambiguous place. Better you learn it now, before you get too involved. Its far different from the sheltered temple life you're familiar with."

"I am not sheltered," Naru replied defensively. "Do either of you even trust each other to honor your agreement?"

The boy gave no response and was soon gone in a flurry of leaves.

After a minute, Kakashi finally answered. "It leaves us free to focus on removing the tags. Even if the boy reneges, Gato's group will still have to switch gears."

Kakashi continued, "I am trusting you three with the safety of the civilans and keeping watch on Zabuza. The ninken will probably tear him apart, if he struggles too much…"

With that the Copy-nin hopped over the edge of the bridge and was out of sight. Zabuza glared at the genin to no avail, no amount of cursing and threats phased them. The dogs' grip grew ever tighter and his wounds began to sting in the springtime sun.

"So much for Gato's plan…" Zabuza cursed.

* * *

"Should've known that piece of trash wasn't up to job," Gato sneered as he saw Haku appear in the distance.

The criminal leader was grouped with his men a fair distance away from the bridge, along the shore of the sea, waiting for the signal. The signal was a custom made firework, designed to shoot into the sky with white smoke and a cry like that of a hawk.

The bridge was only step one. The men in the boats were there to verify the bridge was destroyed, or failing that attack directly and massacre everyone on the bridge. Zabuza and Haku included, if need be.

Then the men gathered here would finish off the near invisible police presence and anyone dumb enough to get in his way. Complete control would be his. No more bribes, no worries of resistance…

That dream had faded since there was no massive blast heard and the fog that had once obscured the bridge had lifted.

Aside from his smashed mask, the boy looked no worse for the wear. It was incomprehensible why the nin had returned with his tail between his legs. Hiring them and the Demon Brothers had been a waste of time and money.

"All of you listen up! Nami no Kuni was mine from day one and nothing the damn bridge builder can do will ever change that fact!"

"Ready yourselves! Today its Nami no Kuni, tomorrow its—"

Haku had quickly drawn a kunai across his throat and Gato's last words were drowned in blood. The thugs that had gathered took a step back, before a few decided to flee. Many soon joined him. Working for a dead men did not pay well.

"I warned you before to watch how you talk in reference to Zabuza," Haku said. "Now, die knowing that I would have killed you anyway."

* * *

A few minutes after he had jumped below, Kakashi returned with a rather thick stack of explosives tags in hand. He would dispose of them as soon as the matter of the Mist nin was resolved.

Though outwardly calm, the jonin was still unsure of how to handle the Zabuza situation, as he made his way toward his team and captive.

Tazuna and his workers were now intermingled with the civilian mob. They were now milling about, unsure to whether return to their homes or their jobs. This left Team 7 and Naru watching over the ninken and Zabuza.

When he was finally close enough to be heard, he whistled. "Not bad, Naru, most of the tags were inactive. I'll have to dispose of them once the situation is resolved."

The redhead offered a relieved smile and shrugged. "Did you find Gato's men?"

The jonin shook his head. "I didn't see any boats or men. Then again criminals are not known for, shall we say, reliability..."

With that, the silver haired man turned his attention to his captive. Diverting the younger Mist nin bought some time, but offered no solutions.

"Kakashi," Naru said gently. "I was thinking about the situation."

All eyes turned to the girl. Before she could say anything, the hunter appeared in a flurry of leaves once again. The boy said nothing, throwing down a bloodied kunai. It clattered against the concrete and left a small smear of blood on the ground.

He looked expectantly at Kakashi, who divided his attention between him and the girl.

"You were saying, Naru." Kakashi nodded.

"The answer here is penance." She said simply.

"Penance?" Sakura questioned. The kunoichi knew the term, thinking, "Did Naru really think Kakashi would just let a renowned criminal like the Demon of the Mist go?"

"Yes, penance! Serve the temple for seven years and pay your debt to society at the same time." Naru said simply.

"Are you insane?" Sasuke asked flatly. The Uchiha did not know much about redemption, but the scale of Zabuza's prior crimes warranted death alone. No village would ever welcome him.

Naru shook her head, muttering something about "heathens." "There are many temples that attempt to rehabilitate criminals through religious instructions. It not official, but its an alternative to death."

Kakashi paused. "True, but I doubt Zabuza would even consider such an option. Besides that, I doubt his pursuers are going to just give up chasing him."

Naru approached the boy and grabbed his hands, violet eyes met with dark brown ones for a moment.

"Past criminality doesn't matter right now. You would do everything in your power to protect him, right? He's the person who's precious to you…"

Haku nodded in the affirmative and Naru continued, "Here's your chance to save the one you love! Go to the Fire Temple and prostrate yourselves to the guji (chief priest). I guarantee he will not turn you away. There are many there who are similarly reformed."

Were he not preoccupied with ignoring his pain, Zabuza would have snorted. Still, going to a temple, especially one that functioned as the national headquarters for all of Hi no Kuni, could be… profitable. Not to mention, pursuers would tread lightly on holy ground. He marveled at the opportunities.

"Is that really true?" Haku questioned.

"On my honor as a sworn priestess. Go there and find refuge," She replied finally. "What have you got to lose, if you try?"

"I don't believe you," Haku said, yanking his hands away. "This is a trick. As soon as we arrive at the Fire Temple, we'll be arrested. Then tortured or worse."

Naru listened to the boy's words carefully. He was seriously considering it, which meant he wanted to believe her. There was hope for no more bloodshed after all.

"It's no trick," Kakashi stated, finally getting involved. "This girl is not a Leaf ninja, she's a priestess. Given that she's trying to save your lives, I recommend you take her up on her offer. It's a far better one than _mine_."

"You really expect us to believe you're going to just let us go?" Haku asked numbly.

"No. I am going to report that we clashed with nuke-nin from Kirigakure… And a priestess did her job and kept things from escalating further." Kakashi replied.

Naru's eyes moved from Haku's simple form to Zabuza's bleeding and prone form. The man said nothing, he opted to fix her with a withering glare. She met it with no hesitation.

A moment passed and a pained Zabuza grit out, "Fine! Whatever…"

"It really is similar to the Bell Test, Kakashi gave us when we first " Sasuke thought, noting the look he received from Sakura.

The parallel was not lost on her either.

"There's one more thing I must ask of you, Zabuza." Naru said finally. "I want you to forfeit your weapon to the temple on arrival."

Zabuza's eyes widened slightly. It was a curious request and the man idly wondered what use it would bring her. Propaganda? Regardless of his own feelings, his weapon was lying forgotten a few feet away.

If it was insurance against his going on rampage at a later date, it was worthless. He could always retrieve it at a later date…

"I said 'Fine!' didn't I? Just call your mutts off and I'll go!" Zabuza roared. He muttered something about his "tools needing sharpening" and something about "giant waste of time."

It may not have been an optimal ending in Kakashi's eyes, but it was feasible. Regardless, it would be an interesting report to Hokage nonetheless.

* * *

A few days later, the bridge was complete. The bridge possessed a brilliant shine and stretched triumphantly to Hi no Kuni. It seemed more like the backbone of Nami no Kuni than anything else. It seemed ready to tackle a significant amount of travel.

That morning, Kakashi, Naru, Sasuke and Sakura gathered at the bridge to say their final goodbye to Tazuna and his family. Inari was very attached to Naru, so he threatened both Sasuke and Kakashi to stay away from his "girl."

Upon noticing Tazuna's glum face, Naru gave the man a weak smile. "What's wrong Tazuna? Are you still upset about Zabuza?"

The bridge builder sighed in response. "I know what you said about it, but it still doesn't sit well with me."

"Even if those two don't go to the temple, they won't be returning here. That's suicide." Kakashi pointed out. "Try not to worry."

The tension in the older man's face eased somewhat. It was true he wanted economic security for the countryside, but justice seemed evasive in regard to the Mist nin. The two left without as much as an apology to anyone and a free pass...

With that, Naru swept the family into a bear hug and extended her blessings and prayers for the family and the country. The redhead rushed ahead of the group, expressing the desire to be the first one to formally cross it. Team Seven gave said their goodbyes as well and departed, following Naru to Hi no Kuni.

As the foursome left, Tsunami turned to her father. "Isn't it about time you named this bridge?"

"Hm, that's a good question." Tazuna said, thinking on it for a few seconds.

"Let's name it after Naru-chan!" Inari said dreamily.

Tazuna almost laughed at his grandson's suddenly huge mouth. The older man was honestly thinking of naming it something along the lines of "War and Peace." Still, Naru had prevented the bridge from being blown up. She was also the reason (that technically speaking) no deaths occurred during the construction of the span.

"The Great Naru Bridge!" Tazuna announced. "We can name the other bridges after the rest of Team Seven."

Tsunami smiled, and grabbed the hand of Inari, "I like that name."

The three returned home to celebrate the completion of the new bridge with plans to build even more.

* * *

Team Seven arrived in Konahagakure late in the afternoon.

To Kakashi, Naru seemed more energized than she had been they left. Then again, her arm was better and she no longer needed to worry about Tazuna and his family being murdered. He was curious about her life at the temple, which she never seemed to talk about.

From his understanding, the Fire Temple was in close proximity to the capitol of Hi no Kuni. On top of that, many people made pilgrimages to it. That included many artists, writers and playwrights, actors, samurai, and, of course, the wealthy and politically elite. It was not an ideal background for a potential ninja, but that certainly was a boost.

The jonin was somewhat impressed by her actions on the bridge. Still, he needed time to broach the subject with the Hokage and the council. It was a complex story to tell and telling it wrong would have bad consequences for all parties involved.

"Sakura, Sasuke," Kakashi said, as they reached a plaza near the entrance. "Given the nature of the mission, it would be best if I spoke to the Hokage alone."

"And you'll want us to show her around?" Sasuke guessed.

The jonin nodded. Sasuke shook his head, "I am not babysitting her. You wanted to bring her back, you deal with her."

Sakura flushed a little. "I am with Sasuke, on this. Besides, how much trouble can she get into?"

Naru give an indignant, derisive snort and stomped her foot. "Its fine, Kakashi. I can take care of myself."

Kakashi sighed in frustration, the two should have known better. "No, it's not fine. It's going to reflect poorly on all of us, if we let a rogue element wander about the village proper unattended. Escort her!"

The jonin instructor honestly glared at the pair with his "good" eye. Problem solved.

"If you have any problems, I'll be meeting with the Hokage, obviously. If I haven't found you already, meet me at a ramen shop called Ramen Ichiraku after dark."

With that bitter note, Kakashi was gone in a puff of smoke. Sasuke was already begrudgingly walking away, with Sakura close on his heels. Naru followed, though her head spun every which way trying to take in the sights of the town.

Naru felt a little overwhelmed. Konohagakure was a large, bustling city, and yet seemed to have a sleepy, quiet atmosphere. It was completely different from the capitol, even though she had only visited it a few times. The capitol had a grand, majestic feel to it. The atmosphere there was very solemn and serious.

Konoha was far better in her opinion. Plus, Konoha would probably lack many of the snotty noblemen and women and snobby bureaucrats and stuffy samurai! Best of all, no suffocating priests to lecture her on this or that.

Konoha would not be so bad.


End file.
